Originally posted: 9/29/2020
The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there are any who understand,
Who seek after God, (14:2).
I am a teacher; and as any teacher knows, classrooms are filled with all types of students. Some are there eager, desiring to learn, to participate, to contribute, and even to please their teacher. Some, well…not so much. And the struggle with those students is real, in attempting to engage those who really have no interest in following the guidelines or working towards the prescribed objectives. They seem to be there to take up space and act the fool in their own self-absorbed world they believe revolves all around them.
But I can’t imagine what it would be like, to look around my classroom and find not one single child who wanted to be there, not one who wanted to learn, not one who cared anything about understanding the material or showing respect to the one in authority.
And a thought crossed my mind that could have made me chuckle, if it weren’t so tragic. It is almost as though God Looked Down from Heaven, and He saw a classroom full of fools.
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds;
There is no one who does good, (14:1).
Consider Him Who Looks Down from Heaven
- He Looks Down from Heaven to see if any have an understanding and desire to do good and seek Him.
- The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there are any who understand,
Who seek after God.
3 They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one, (14:2-3).
- The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
- He Looks Down from Heaven to listen for any who would call on Him.
- Do all the workers of wickedness not know,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon the Lord? (14:4).
- Do all the workers of wickedness not know,
- He Looks Down from Heaven to warn the wicked of the dread that is coming.
- There they are in great dread,
For God is with the righteous generation, (14:5).
- There they are in great dread,
- He Looks Down from Heaven to bring the afflicted to Himself as a place of refuge.
- You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted,
But the Lord is his refuge, (14:6).
- You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted,
- He Looks Down from Heaven for those who may abide and dwell with Him in His Holy Presence.
- O Lord, who may abide in Your tent
Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart, (15:1-2).
- O Lord, who may abide in Your tent
How do we respond to Him Who Looks Down from Heaven?
Our response must begin with recognition and agreement. We must first recognize and agree with the truth about Him. He alone is holy; He alone is high and exalted. He is so far above us in His holiness, it makes you wonder how far down He must have to stoop to see the likes of us.
And we must recognize and agree with the truth about ourselves. Because He is perfect in holiness, there is no hope of anyone approaching Him in and of ourselves. Because the truth is, “there is no one who does good, not even one.” This is an absolute truth taught in both the Old and New Testaments.
- Have we accepted His Truth?
- They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one, (14:3). - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23).
- They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
After we recognize and agree with His Truth, we must look to Him for salvation. There is no other way.
- Have we accepted His Way?
- Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!… (14:7).
- “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12).
And when we repent of our sin and receive the offer of His salvation through faith in Jesus, how can we possibly contain or fully express our joy?
- Are we marked by joy?
- Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores His captive people,
Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad, (14:7). - and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls, (1 Peter 1:8-9).
- Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
As a result of the salvation of our souls, we will be changed, not by our own works, but by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from our sin.
- Is our life marked by integrity, righteousness, and truth?
- O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart, (15:1-2). - and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed, (1 Peter 2:24).
- O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?
When we trust Jesus Christ for our salvation, we can be confident that when He Looks Down from Heaven, He will see the righteousness of Christ, the only One Who is fit to abide in His tent and dwell on His holy hill. Because of the blood of Jesus, we no longer have to live in dread of our eternity or His wrath.
- Are we living convinced of our eternal security and salvation from His wrath?
- Do all the workers of wickedness not know,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon the Lord?
5 There they are in great dread,
For God is with the righteous generation, (14:4-5). - Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath, (Romans 5:9 HCSB).
- Do all the workers of wickedness not know,
We are declared righteous through faith in Christ alone. And as we live by faith in His shed blood for us, and as Christ lives His life in us, our lives will be transformed.
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me, (Galatians 2:20).
As we live the crucified life by faith, and as we deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him, it will be His life in us that will speak truth, do good, despise evil, fear the Lord, remain constant, be honest in dealings with others, and never be shaken.
- Is our life marked by the transforming power of Christ Who now lives His life in us?
- He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised,
But who honors those who fear the Lord;
He swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 He does not put out his money at interest,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken, (15:3-5).
- He does not slander with his tongue,
Oh, that we would so believe and take hold of His Word, that we would grow in our faith in Christ to live each day assured that we have access to the Father, fully convinced that because we have been made the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we have been made fit to abide in the Holy Presence of Him Who Looks Down from Heaven.
O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart, (15:1-2).
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, (2 Corinthians 5:21).
for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father, (Ephesians 2:18).